AMERC wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 4:56 pm
Hi
I was diagnosed with H Pylori in Oct 2020 after an endoscopy. I did the triple therapy treatment and since then in the last 18 months I have tested 3 times negative on stool test and once negative in Urea Breath Test (done in July 22). I made sure that before each test I was off PPI for 14 days.
However I still have episodes of silent acid reflux. The main symptoms being Globus sensation and dull to sharp stabbing pain in the epigastric region. I have to take Dexilant 30 mg for a few days to calm it down.
Last week I did a blood test for H pylori antibodies and it was surprising also
NEGATIVE. It has only been just under 2 years since I was diagnosed with H Pylori and I had though that the anti bodies stay in the blood for years. This makes me now doubt if the original biopsy result from the endoscopy in 2020 was correct. HelicoExpert please could you kindly advise if this it is possible for the antibodies to disappear from the blood so soon?
Also has the H pylori infection made my stomach very sensitive to certain food or stress which is giving me episodes of acidity related pain and discomfort. Note I hardly get heartburns. How do I manage this espisodes.
Wait, you are saying you had h pylori in 2020 and you still had no inflammation? That is very very suspicious.
My igG is always negative I got other posts to prove it but my igM test or igA doesn't change when I have an infection and it stays constant throughout the infection no matter how many months or years pass by. I am a rare case I dont think there are igGs in my body or my body just doesnt know how to produce igGs for h pylori....it may be the same case for you. I suggest you take all three blood tests, if all three are negative, I would say there is zero chance you have h pylori.
Keep that in mind!
Now Assuming you are h pylori free, you CAN cure your functional dyspecia. My reflux was so bad i had ulcers DAILY which made me puke blood for YEARS that means my LES was EXTREMELY WEAK both the LES and UES were weak yet when I cleared off h pylori all things went back to normal I could even digest lactose in huge amounts ( I remember stopping the car bc I saw a farmer selling raw milk...bought a bucket and drank it all up with no issues lol). I also had tequila alcohol all kinds of crazy things and no reflux.
Now...here's what you need to do to get back into shape. Note I am not a doctor but i think in these cases of 'functional dyspesia' most doctors are clueless and the best advice you're going to get are from patients who have tried tons of things (thats how I know a lot about fuctional dyspepsia).
1. Inflammation due to sensitivies
There's a chance that there's inflammation around the LES (if it isn't present in the stomach) which may be called by food sensitivities, you may have antibodies to some foods and as long as you keep eating those foods those antibodies and sensitivies will not dissapear. The solution is to stop eating those foods..how do you find out? There are some tests but the best method is to do an elimination diet start with the basics: rice, potatoes, chicken...do that for three days and see if you have no symptoms...if it doesn't work replace potatoes with other vegetables...try for it three days..then watch your symptoms...does it get better? If it does...then you've got three safe foods and you need to start adding more condiments and foods to it until you find your triggers.
Usual triggers in order of inmune reaction strength: gluten, lactose, soy, nuts, eggs, red meat, chicken, fish, rice, vegetables (how I know this list, I've spent years on forums talking to people with autoinmune digestive diseases).
2. Lack of enzymes
It is possible you have permanently lost the enzymes to digest some foods, this is usually temporary with inflammation. For example, when you have a cold you usually stick to soup and bland foods bc ur body loses some of the enzymes to digest food. When food stays too long in the stomach it weakens the les or it even may trigger it to malfunction just like food sensitivy does. You need to follow the same method to find out. For me...in my SECOND h pylori reinfection, I lose the maltose enzyme which is present in nearly every carbohydrate and hence why I had so much reflux from nearly every dish I ate. I had 0 enzymes for maltose because the reflux bouts when I ate rice for example where HUGE, I would instantly get a bleeding throat from eating cookies or rice.
3 SIBO.
Overgrowth of good or bad bacteria is also an issue because it generates gas and weakens the les, also by products generated by this bacteria may trigger the lES to malfunction. I dont want to get into details here you may want to look it up online and some solutions too. ABX is usually a last resort, I would just starve the bacteria.
4. Permanently weakened LES.
I feel this is very very rare, I would say long standing inflammation for about 15-20 years would cause this. My LES/UES were so weak but they still recovered completely. If you do have a weakened les there are some foods you have to avoid, you should do the research and Im sure you have also found out the hard way. Usual triggers: spices , oils and too much water after eating or too much food in one meal. Vitamin D in high dosages has shown to improve les strenght on some papers as well as melatonin. Again this is very rare but possible. This is much much more common when there is something causing inflammation but you say you dont have h pylori so....
Lastly....
5 Weak Gall Bladder
H pylori does not cause the gall bladder to weaken but in a stomach thats been compromised for so long, the inflammation can 'jump' into the gallbladder especially if you have a very agressive inmmune system. This does not mean you have gallstones, it just means your gallbladder is weak and is not pumping out enough bile acid to digest food, it may be due to food sensitivity or SIBO or something else like stones...(not all stones had pain). I had a weak gallbladder and some gallstones cause by long standing inflammation around the digestive system...it cleared up a year after eliminating my first h pylori infection in 2014. The following reinfections 2015...2016 and 2022 have not caused any gallbladder issue thereafter.
There are a few more reasons for functional dyspepsia but those are the most common.
The good news is that save for #4...all of these are reversible.
Good Luck!